The Simin Tander Quartet
Netherlands
8:00 pm-9:00 pm,30,Sep 2011

Artists
Voice & Composer: Simin Tander
Double Bass: Cord Heineking
Drums: Etienne Nillesen
Piano: Lucas Leidinger

The Simin Tander Quartet represents a new sound in the European jazz landscape: mysterious, surprising, rhythmically varying and tenderly beautiful but at the same time strong and very pointy. This German-Afghan leader of the quartet sings “stories without words,” purely using her voice and a very broad palette of sounds.

Besides her richness in sounds, she also uses contemporary lyrics in different languages and sometimes even creates her very personal “fantasy language”. Expressive, free improvisation united with delicate singer-songwriter elements with a hint of oriental mysticism are characteristics of her style. The Simin Tander Quartet reveals four creative musicians that form a well balanced union; each with his own voice and ability to express it within Simin’s compositions. “Music is an almost sacred space in which I can be ME,” says Miss Tander.

SLIXS (until 2011 known as Stouxingers)
Germany
9:30 pm-10:30 pm,30,Sep 2011

Artists
Vocals:
Katharia Debus
Michael Eimann
Gregorio Hernandez
Karsten Muller
Thomas Piontek
Konrad Zeiner

Creating more than just their own mix of Pop, Jazz and R&B, these voice experts represent extraordinary vocal performance. The SLIXS (until 2011 known as Stouxingers), founded by Michael Eimann, their composer and arranger, have won fans at concerts and a cappella festivals throughout Europe and Asia.

The group ranks among the top a cappella ensembles from Germany, enchanting juries of such international competitions as “Vokal Total” in Graz (AT), winning two “Ward Swingle Awards” and three “Golden Diplomas” (Jazz, Pop, and Open Category) as well as the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA), the so-called Grammy of the cappella scene.

“Six Voices”, a song from the Stouxingers album “Nothing is Real”, was the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA) winner of “Best Jazz Song of the Year” in 2008. The album itself was selected as the second best Jazz album of the year worldwide in 2009 the group recorded a soundtrack for the film “Mensch Kotschie”. An acapella symphony is also in the works, as well as a jazz version of Handel’s “Messiah” in collaboration with the Klazz Brothers.